Our Story
The Sunflower Cafe LLC was established in 2017 by Katie Wagner and Jo Kuckelman. The cafe was created to provide a place for families to have breakfast together, elderly people to socialize, students to feel like they had a home away from home, and for tourists to get a taste of what it’s like to live in Atchison, KS. Our vision has always been to bring these groups of people together to enjoy quality coffee and homemade delicacies.
As the state flower of Kansas, the sunflower represents a lot of the same things we wanted to encompass at our shop. It represents Kansas and those that reside, visit, and study here. The flower stands tall and faces the sun. It may experience darkness, but will always go back to then light. A beautiful reminder that we as humans will always have bad days, but we can make them better by providing a warm cup of coffee with a wonderful friend, cousin, sister, professor, etc.
Our interior is created from authentic ship lap from a 1900s barn torn down just outside of town in Lancaster, KS. Our rustic farmhouse theme is a nice way to envision yourself back on the farm or your ancestors that tilled the land.
At The Sunflower, we support local. Whenever possible, we house items from our town or nearby. Our liquor comes from MGP ingredients here in Atchison, as well as the Holladay Distillery in Weston, MO. Our been comes from Boulevard brewery and Torn label brewery in Kansas City, MO and Free State Brewing Company in Lawrence, KS. We purchase groceries locally, and our coffee is sourced by The Roasterie out of Kansas City.
In 1975, Jerry Kuckelman, the grandfather of Katie and father-in-law of Jo, purchased his first restaurant. It was there that he and his wife Virginia became widely known for their talents in cooking and baking. Jerry was famous for his BBQ ribs and catfish dinners, while Virginia was applauded on her homemade pies of all kinds. Jerry and Virginia ran the restaurant for nearly 30 years before selling it to retire and spend more time with their grandchildren.
In 2001, Liz Kuckelman Wagner, daughter of Jerry and mother of Katie, opened “Jerry’s Again” located at 125 North 5th Street. Liz recycled some of Jerry and Virginia’s recipes from over the years, as well as creating her own signature dishes. Despite sellling their own restaurant, Jerry and Virginia couldn’t resist coming to help Liz on a daily basis. Liz employed many family members and friends over the years. Katie remembers coming home from soccer games on Saturdays and jumping on the dish station still in cleets. Mostly she remembers that it never felt like work, just that we were working together as a team to accomplish a goal. Jerry’s Again still operates on its original roots, almost 20 years later.
In 2016, Mike and Jo Kuckelman bought a building located at 117 North 5th street, just a few doors down from Liz’s restaurant. It was then that they began looking into ideas of what to do with the retail space the occupied the front. It needed a lot of work, but they knew it could become something great and wanted to help get it running. Katie approached Jo with a vision and a plan, and together they worked to create the cafe in Atchison.
The same ideals and morals of Jerry still prevail at The Sunflower Cafe. We strive to treat our customers the way Jerry treated his all those years ago. Our core values are God, family, and work. We are unwaveringly committed to creating a godly environment for you to enjoy your family in pursuit of our labor. We thank those that have supported us thus far and we continue to innovate, improve, and strengthen our relationships with you.